Question

When the U.S. Civil War ended in 1865, the country had been torn apart like a rag doll. The Union’s victory gave four million enslaved people their freedom, but the process of rebuilding and restructuring the South was extremely challenging. Americans spent many years trying to heal the country’s wounds. This period is known as the Reconstruction. It lasted from 1865 to 1877.



One of the biggest challenges at the end of the Civil War was incorporating formerly enslaved men and women of color into society. Formerly enslaved people struggled to find a place to belong. In a speech delivered on April 11, 1865, President Lincoln proposed that free Black Americans deserved the right to vote. President Lincoln was assassinated three days later, on April 14, 1865. He never had the opportunity to bring his vision to reality. Andrew Jackson became president and reversed many of Lincoln’s accomplishments. He gave Southern governments freedom in how they treated Black Americans. Southern governments passed cruel and unconstitutional laws restricting the rights and abilities of Black Americans. It took many years for formerly enslaved people in the South to feel like they were free. Reconstruction helped to unify all states back into the U.S., but it left issues of racism and prejudice unsolved.


Questions
Why does the author use the phrase “torn apart like a rag doll”?


The author uses the phrase to show how the country was made up of lots of different pieces like a rag doll.


The author uses the phrase to emphasize how separated and hurt the nation was.


The author uses the phrase to show how united the nation was.


The author uses the phra

Answer 1

The author uses the phrase to emphasize how separated and hurt the nation was.

(Comparing the country to a torn rag doll highlights damage and fragmentation after the war.)